That's A Moray Monday

With Christopher Taylor happily distracted from morays with his recent Scleritome Week on his blog, I can reposition MBSL&S as your one-stop-shopping destination for moray trivia. (I hope Chris knew I was kidding when I called him a Kiwi git last week. I love Kiwi's, particularly in salads and dressed with a little balsamic vinegar.)

This week's moray is a threatening looking fellow. And its common name doesn't help with public relations.

Longfang Viper Moray
Enchelycore canina or also Echelynassa canina

This snaggle-tooth eel occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate seas--from the central and western Pacific, to tropical eastern Pacific. The Enchelycore genera consists of a group of eels with large, arched mouths and numerous needle-like teeth--often with fang-like (canine) teeth. The Longfang Viper is typically scaleless in appearance, and has a recorded maximum length of approximately 3 meters, making it both scary-looking and big.

Adult specimens are typical benthic dwellers, generally found in shallow water among rocks and coral heads. It inhabits areas with strong surge such as outer reef flats and reef fronts. Like most moray's they are more active at night and hide in holes and crevices during the day. While vicious in appearance, they are reclusive and will likely bite only if provoked. The Longfang Viper moray feeds mainly on crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fishes. In regions where they occur, they are widely used as food, but a few large specimens may be ciguatoxic.

The Viper Moray's most notable feature is its arching jaws that exhibit a nasty looking set of teeth even when their mouths remain shut. My favorite quote from an online fish database is, "This eels dentition deserves respect." Well said. Their stocky bodies vary from dark brown to maroon and occasionally display a light mottled pattern. However, their menacing mouths easily set them apart from other species. The Viper moray's posterior nostrils (located in front of, and above the eye), are large and surrounded by a fleshy rim.